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Numeracy Tasks
Tarsia Description of Task The Tarsia task is essentially an educational puzzle. Students are presented with various shapes, each with different pieces of information along the edges, which, in this case, are values for different speeds, distances and times. The aim of the task is to have the students complete the puzzle by matching the edges of the shapes. In the example provided, each triangle features a speed, distance or time measurement which students must match with another value in a different unit. The aim of this activity is to provide students with practice in converting to and from SI units as well as provide them practice in using decimal notation. While the syllabus does not require quantitative analysis of motion, it is inevitable that students will be given practice doing mathematical problems related to speed, distance and time, and thus it is essential for students to master the conversion skills before commencement of any Preliminary Science course. The activity provided should be given to students already cut up, or, should be cut out by the students and shuffled. This is a good activity to use at the start or end of a lesson as it does not take too much time and compliments content knowledge well. Relevant Content Statement Stage 5 PW2 The motion of objects can be described and predicted using the laws of physics. b. Students explain qualitatively the relationship between distance, speed and time Relevant Syllabus Outcomes SC5-10PW '''A student applies models, theories and laws to explain situations involving energy, force and motion. Differentiation The activity is altogether rather simple and is made to accommodate lower ability students. By leaving the edges of the outer triangles blank, the students are able to gain an understanding of the general positioning of the pieces before even looking at the values, thus reducing the difficulty of the task. In order to cater for advanced students, additional numbers can be added to the edges of the triangles in order to remove the advantage provided by the blank edges. Additionally, more triangles can be added in order to increase the number of calculations required or more difficult conversions (such as percentages and fractions) can be introduced. For gifted students, the mathematical conversions can be substituted for problems using equations of motion. Regardless of the subgroup, the Tarsia puzzle task is able to be adapted to cater for it, making it a very flexible activity. The Resource A sample of a completed Tarsia puzzle can be downloaded here: Geological Timeline Description of Task In this activity, students are required to create a timeline of the different eras in earths history in order to gain an understanding of the relative length of geological events and the age of the Earth. The activity should begin with a clear explanation of how to create an appropriate scale with a certain number of centimetres representing a certain length of time. Once the students have understood the concept, they should be provided with the worksheet provided below and asked to create a time line. While the activity provides students with and understanding of the relative age of earth, it also teaches them the important skill of scaling diagrams. While there are multiple online resources that can be used, it is my preferred method to use a pen and paper approach as this skill thus becomes transferrable to other areas of science such as creating scaled diagrams or maps and also, the creation of a physical object gives more insight into the relative length of events than a resizable webpage. The worksheet provided is based on the handout also supplied (see right), which is a page from National Science 9 detailing the different eras of the earth and what occurred in them. It is also useful for teachers to provide long strips of paper for the students to create their timelines on. There should be enough room for the students to provide a brief description of the different eras. Relevant Content Statement '''WS9b. Students communicate by selecting and constructing an appropriate table, type of diagram, table or graph (histogram or sector, column or line graph) to present information and show relationships clearly and succinctly using digital technologies as appropriate Stage 5 ES2 The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity and continental movement. a. Students outline how the theory of plate tectonics changed ideas about the structure of the Earth and continental movement over geological time Relevant Syllabus Outcomes SC5-9WS A student presents science ideas and evidence for a particular purpose and to a specific audience, using appropriate scientific language, conventions and representations SC5-12ES A student describes changing ideas about the structure of the Earth and the universe to illustrate how models, theories and laws are refined over time by the scientific community Differentiation Teachers can differentiate for students with learning difficulties or with poor numeracy skills by modelling the task on the board. By demonstrating how to complete the task, students should understand what is expected of them, as well as the process of how to convert time into distances. This should be done with a generic example before the students begin their task, but should be repeated with the specific example from the task for the students who are struggling. This should be accompanied with constant assessment of understanding to ensure they are not just copying the teachers work. In order to organise this, the teacher might want to consider grouping the students and allowing them to move between areas based on how their understanding. This will allow the teacher to demonstrate the process to struggling students together, while still being able to assist individual students without interrupting those who understand the task. The Resource The National Science page referenced specifically can be seen here and is an extract from Shadwick, Brian & Humphreys, Kerri, (author.) (2013). National science : year 9. Marrickville, NSW Science Press The activity sheet to provide to students can be downloaded here: Graph Questions Description of Task This activity involves students using tabulated data to create a distance/time graph and extracting further information from its shape. The activity walks students through graph formation, asking them basic questions that they need to consider when choosing the orientation and scale of their axes. This provides students with practice in basic graph formation. Once they have created their distance/time graph, they are then asked to qualitatively identify different types of motion based on the slope at given intervals. Once they have done this, they are the asked to determine the speeds quantitatively based on the s=d/t formula. The activity thus teaches student skills in extracting information and interpreting graphical representations.It should be noted that this activity requires the students to have had some exposure to graphs previously. Because of this, it is best suited to beginning or low level year 9 classes doing motion or a similar topic. It should be noted that students can complete the activity in a computer program to produce a graph similar to the one on the right, however, it is more beneficial to them hand drawn as it requires them to consider the scales of the graph. Relevant Content Statement Stage 5 WS7.1 Students process data and information by: b. selecting and extracting information from tables, flow diagrams, other texts, audiovisual resources and graphs, including histograms and column, sector or line graphs Stage 5 WS7.2 Students analyse data and information by: a. analysing patterns and trends, including identifying inconsistencies in data and information Stage 5 ''' '''PW2 The motion of objects can be described and predicted using the laws of physics. b. explain qualitatively the relationship between distance, speed and time Relevant Syllabus Outcomes SC5-7WS processes, analyses and evaluates data from first-hand investigations and secondary sources to develop evidence-based arguments and conclusions SC5-10PW applies models, theories and laws to explain situations involving energy, force and motion Differentiation The activity is designed to be scaffolded for lower ability students, with the first few questions giving hints about how to prepare the scale. The questions get increasingly more difficult as the activity progresses, allowing students to work at their own pace. For students with advanced knowledge, the extension activity allows them to create an additional graph using their answers without the scaffolding of the first graph. It is up to teacher discretion if they wish to incorporate the ideas of acceleration and include further analysis questions of the speed/ time graph, but they have not been added to the current activity. The Resource The activity can be downloaded here: